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VAN HALEN’s New Song Is Not So New After All

It turns out that “Blood And Fire”, the newly previewed song from VAN HALEN‘s “A Different Kind Of Truth” album, is not so new after all. After a 90-second sample of track was released earlier today, the band’s hardcore fans were quick to point out that it is based on an instrumental called “Ripley” from “The Wild Life”movie.

Released on VHS in 1984 and starring Chris Penn, “The Wild Life” featured a score written by VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen. Only one song (“Donut City”) was included on the movie’s official soundtrack, while others, including “Ripley”, are heard throughout the Cameron Crowe-directed film.

The first single from “A Different Kind Of Truth”, “Tattoo”, was released on January 10. The song itself said to be is a rewrite of a very old VAN HALEN track “Down In Flames”, which the band used to play in its late Seventies club days but never recorded for any of its albums. The new version has a slightly different arrangement and fresh lyrics from singer David Lee Roth.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, at least two other songs on the new record, “She’s The Woman” and “Bullethead”, date back to the band’s early days as well. “She’s The Woman” appeared on a 1976 VAN HALEN demo produced by KISS bassist Gene Simmons, and was performed by the group earlier in the month during its show at the tiny Cafe Wha? in New York City.

Guitarist Eddie Van Halen has said in numerous interviews over the years that he has “10 albums” worth of unreleased material in his archives from throughout the band’s career.

Ironically, it was former singer Sammy Hagar who hinted that VAN HALEN might be digging into the vaults on the new album. Hagar recently told Rolling Stone, “I heard this record is old outtakes from the old days. I mean, stuff from before I even joined the band . . . Because from what I heard, they aren’t working with new material. Ed and Dave didn’t actually write new songs.”

VAN HALEN will kick off a North American tour on February 18 in Louisville, Kentucky. KOOL AND THE GANG will open for VAN HALEN on selected tour stops.

“A Different Kind Of Truth”, will arrive on February 7 via Interscope.